Locomotive and Railroad Nicknames
Most railroads and their rolling stock earn some form of respect through nicknames. Here is a list of the many railroads, locomotives, cars and the nicknames associated with them. Railroads *AMTRAK: Am-crash; Am-trash *Ann Arbor: the "Annie" *Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe: Uncle John *Baltimore and Ohio: Best and Only; Beefsteak & Onions; Beets & Onions; Bum's Own; Royal Blue Line *Boston and Maine: Route of the Minute Man; Bankrupt & Moribund; Busted & Mined; Busted & Mangled *Canadian National Railway: Certainly No Rush *Central Railroad of New Jersey: Jersey Central Lines; Royal Blue Line *Chicago and Eastern Illinois: The Evansville Route; Noiseless Route *Chicago and North Western: Cheap & Nothing Wasted; Route of the 400, Road of the Streamliners (shared with UP) *Chicago, Burlington and Quincy: Burlington Route; The Q; The Burlington; Way of the Zephyr; Cheapest Best & Quickest; Crash Bang & Quake *Chicago Great Western: Great Weedy; Cinders Grass & Weeds *Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville: The Monon; The Hoosier Line *Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific: Milwaukee Road; Route of the Hiawatha. *Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific: Rock Island; The Rock *Delaware and Hudson: The D&H; The Bridge Line to New England and Canada; Delay and Hesitate *Delaware, Lackawanna & Western: Delay, Linger & Wait; Route of the Phoebe Snow; The Road of Anthracite *Elgin, Joliet and Eastern: Easy Jobs for Everyone *Grand Trunk: The Big Suitcase *Green Bay and Western: Grab Bags and Walk *Gulf, Mobile & Ohio: the Rebel Route *Illinois Central: Main Line of Mid-America; the I.C.; I Can't Run Railroads; Road of Personal Service *Kansas City Southern: The Haywire *Lancaster, Oxford & Southern: Little, Old & Slow *Lehigh & Hudson River: Warwick Valley Route; Late and Hungry; Lean and Hungry *Lehigh & New England: Loose Nuts Everywhere *Lehigh Valley: Route of the Black Diamond; Leaky Valley *Louisville & Nashville: The L&N; Old Reliable; Long and Narrow *Maine Central: The Pine Tree Route *Maryland & Pennsylvania: Ma and Pa *Missouri-Kansas-Texas: M-K-T; The Katy *Missouri Pacific: Mopac, the MOP *New York Central: Water Level Route; Road to the Future *New York, Chicago & St Louis: Nickel Plate Road *New York, Ontario and Western: Old Woman; Old and Weary; Now Young, Out and Working *New York, Susquehanna & Western: Susie-Q; Suskie; the Susquehanna *Northern Pacific: Main Street of the Northwest *Pennsylvania: Standard of the World; Big Red Subway; Vandalia Line (Lines West) *Reader RR: Possum-Trot Line *Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac: Capital Cities Route; The Doggie Railroad; Run Fast and Push *Rutland: The Green Mountain Gateway/Route *St Louis-San Francisco: the Frisco *St Louis-Southwestern: Cotton Belt Route; Route of the Blue Streak *Southern Pacific: Espee; Sunset Route; the Friendly Railroad; the Octopus *Tennessee Central Railroad: Blowing Rock Line *Texas & New Orleans: The Hickory *Union Pacific: Uncle Pete; Overland Route; The Borg "You Will Be Assimilated" *Wabash: Follow the Flag *Western Maryland: Fast Freight Line *Western Pacific: Feather River Route; Route of the California Zephyr; The Wobbly Locomotives and Rolling Stock Steam Engines Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe: * 4-6-4: Pacifics * 4-8-4: Mountains * 2-8-4: Mikados * 2-10-4: Santa Fes * 429 class 4-6-0: Klondikes * 3460 class 4-6-4: Heavy Pacifics; Blue Goose (3460 only) * 3751 series 4-8-4: Heavy Mountains * 2900 class 4-8-4: War Babies * 2-10-4 no. 5000: Madame Queen * 5000-series 2-10-4: 5000s Atlantic Coast Line: *K15 4-6-0: Copperheads (due to copper rim on smoke-stack) Baltimore and Ohio: * Atlantic: The Grasshopper * Memnon: The Old War Horse * C16 0-4-0(ST): Little Joes, Dockside * P7 4-6-2: Presidents, 5300s * Q3 2-8-2: Light Mikados, McAdoo Mikados, Mikes, McArthurs, 4500s, 4600s. * S1 2-10-2: Big Sixes, 6000s, 6100s * Class O/DD1 0-6-6-0 No. 2400: Old Maud * EM1 2-8-8-4: Yellowstones, Sandstones, 7600s Central of Georgia: * K class 4-8-4: Big Apples, Dixie type Chesapeake & Ohio/Hocking Valley: * G5 2-8-0 (ex-HV): The Merry Widow (number 701 only) * H7 2-8-8-2: Simons, Simple Simons * H8 2-6-6-6: Allegheny type, 1600s * 2-8-2: Mikes * K4 2-8-4: Kanawhas, Big Mikes, 2700s * J3 4-8-4: Greenbriers, Statesmen, 600s * L1 4-6-4: Yellowbellies * M1 Steam Turbine: Sacred Cows (the sound of their whistles - actually Foster steam sirens - were rumoured to have attracted cows' and bulls' attention. Another story behind the nickname comes from the term 'sacred cow' which means 'someone who is or something that is immune to criticism, however severe it may be'.) Chicago & North Western: * E2 4-6-2: Yellow Jackets * E4 4-6-4: 400s; Green Hornets; Green/North West Hiawathas * H1 4-8-4: Zeppelins Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (Burlington Route) * S-4 4-6-4: Heavy Pacifics (4000: Big Alice the Goon) * O-5 4-8-4: Big Mikes * M-4 2-10-4: Colorados Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific (The Milwaukee Road): * 4-4-2: Milwaukee type * A 4-4-2 and F-7 4-6-4: Hiawathas * F-6 4-6-4: Baltics Delaware and Hudson * J-95 4-6-6-4: 1500s, Challengers * K-62 4-8-4: 300s; Laurentian type Great Northern (US): * M-series 2-6-8-0: Grasshoppers Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis: * 4-8-4: Dixie type * J2 4-8-4: Gliders * J3 4-8-4: Yellow Jackets, Stripes * L1 2-8-2: Jitneys New York Central System: *Commuter Tanks: Mudsons *Boston & Albany A1 2-8-4: Berkshires; Sports Models *Class I/C14a 4-4-0 number 999: The Queen of Speed *4-4-2: Chautauqua type *4-6-4: Hudsons *J3a, conventional: Super Hudsons; Super-Duper Hudsons *J3a, streamlined: Roman Helmets *K11 4-6-2: Kaye-Elevens *ex-Michigan Central J40 2-6-2: Grasshoppers *4-8-2: Mohawks *4-8-4: Niagaras New York, New Haven & Hartford (New Haven): * F5 2-8-0: Bull Mooses * G4a 4-6-0: Kangaroos * I5 4-6-4: Shoreliners * R3 4-8-2: New Haven type New York, Ontario and Western * Class E 4-6-0: Teakettles * Class U1 4-6-0: Shanghais * Class W 2-8-0: Long Johns * Class X 2-10-2: Bull Mooses * Class Y 4-8-2: Light 400s; Little 400s * Class Y2 4-8-2: Big 400s Norfolk and Western * A class 2-6-6-4: Twelve Hundreds * J and J1 4-8-4: J's; Six Hundreds; Pride/Spirit of Roanoke (611 only) * K2 and K2a 4-8-2: J Juniors (when streamlined) * K3 4-8-2: Water Buffalos * M 4-8-0: Mollies; Mastodons * Y6 2-8-8-2: 2100s * TE-1 Turbine: Jawn Henry Pennsylvania Railroad: *I1 2-10-0: Decks; Hippos; Holy Terror of the Standard RR of the World *K4s 4-6-2: Standard Passenger Locomotive of the World; The Torpedo (3768 only) *L1s 2-8-2: Lollipops *S1 6-4-4-6: The Big Engine *S2 6-8-6 Steam Turbine: The Big Swoosh (lack of conventional pistons, sound made by turbine prime mover) Philadelphia & Reading/Reading Company: * M1 2-8-2: Big Dutch Mikes; Anthracite Mikes * T1 4-8-4: T-Hogs Rutland Railroad: * L1 4-8-2: Green Hornets Southern Pacific: * AC-1 thru 3: Mud Hens * Later AC-series locomotives: Cab Forwards; Backup Malleys; Cab-in-fronts; Cab-aheads; 4100s, 4200s * F-series 2-10-2: Decks * GS-series 4-8-4: Golden State; General Service; Yellowjackets; Daylights * M-series 2-6-0: Valley Malleys; Mexican Malleys; Desert Malleys * MT-series 4-8-2: Antelopes (usually applies to Sacramento-built 4-8-2s) * SP-series 4-10-2: Stuttering Decks; 5000s Southern (US): * Ks1 2-8-0 no. 630: Little Bit * Ms 2-8-2 no. 4501: Big Bit * Ps4 4-6-2: Crescents Spokane, Portland & Seattle: *700/E1 class 4-8-4: The Ladies (due to their good looks and feminine nature) St Louis-San Francisco (Frisco): * 1060 class 4-6-4: Bluebirds * 1500 class 4-8-2: Light Mountains Timken: *4-8-4 no. 1111 (bought by Northern Pacific): Four Aces Toledo, Peoria & Western: * H10 4-8-4: Pocket Northerns Union Pacific: * ALCO 4-8-8-4: Big Boys; 4000s * CSA-series 4-6-6-4 and later models: Challengers; Little Boys; 3700s, 3800s, 3900s * FEF-series 4-8-4: Four Eight Fours; 800s * MC-series 2-8-8-0: Bull Mooses * MK-series 2-8-2: Mikes; McArthurs * UP-series 4-12-2: Nines; 9000s Diesel Engines EMC/EMD: *GP-7, or any other GP series Diesel: Geeps; General Purpose *SD series Diesels: Cadillacs; Special Duty *E and F units: Covered Wagons; Cabs; Bulldogs Electric Engines Amtrak: * AEM-7: Swedish Swifty; Swedish Meatballs; Mighty Mouse; Toasters Milwaukee Road: *EP2: Bi-Polars *EP3: Quills *EP4/EF4: Little Joe (MILW); 800s (South Shore); Russa (Paulista) *EF3: Bobtails (B units only) New Haven: * EP1: Pony Motors * EP2: Westinghouses; Tigers * EP3: Flat Bottoms; Juice Jacks * EP4: Streamliners * EP5: Jets * EF1: Jeeps * EF2: Motor Generators * EF3: Bull Mooses; Yellow Jackets * EF4: Virginians; Bricks * Multiple Units (MUs): Mutts '''Pennsylvania Railroad: '''Motors * B1: Rats * E2b: Screamers * E33 and E44: Bricks; Flying Bricks; Juice Jacks * FF1: Big Liz * GG1s: Juice Jacks ** 4800: Old Rivets ** 4877: Ol' Big Red; Big Red ** 4935: Blackjack Category:Article stubs Category:Encyclopedic articles